Mensik ends Baez’s perfect start to 2026, wins Oakland title
20-year-old wins second ATP Tour title after win in Miami 2025
January 17, 2026
Michael Bradley/AFP via Getty Images
Jakub Mensik takes on Sebastian Baez in Oakland on Saturday.
Andy West
Jakub Mensik defeated Sebastian Baez’s comeback in dramatic fashion to claim the title at the ASB Classic in Oakland on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Czech player saved three consecutive set points from 3/6 in the second set tiebreaker before winning the championship match 6-3, 7-6(7) at the ATP 250 hard court. Facing an opponent who had won the first seven games of the 2026 season, Mencic put in an outstanding serving performance and became the youngest Auckland champion since Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.
“I would say it’s a great start to the year,” Mencic said in an on-court interview. “I’m very happy that after my preparation and pre-season, when you’re obviously not in the rhythm and you come into the new season with a lot of energy, I showed the performance I wanted. I’m very happy with the win.”
The future is now🌟@mensik_jakub_ Defeating Baez 6-3, 7-6(7) to win his second ATP Tour title and etch his name in Auckland history.@ASB_classic | #ASBClassic26 pic.twitter.com/nhhBxAhsPx
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 17, 2026
Third-seeded Mencic got off to a fast start in his first Lexus ATP head-to-head match against Baez. The Czech hit 11 aces in the first set and won 95% (21/22) of his points in the first set, according to Infosys ATP statistics.
After Mensik won the only break of serve in the first set in the sixth game, he broke serve again at 6-5 in the second set to close the victory. However, Baez, who defeated top seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals, immediately fought back, forcing the game into a tie-break and quickly saved three set points with a score of 6/3. However, Mensik kept his cool and hit a stunning volley, an ace and a return winner to seal the victory in 82 minutes.
“Seb is a great boxer. It’s very difficult to fight him,” Mencic reflected. “When I was leading 6-5 in the second set, I was serving really well the whole game, and then I had a couple of second serves. He took advantage of that opportunity, and then in the tiebreak, when the score was 3/6… I’m happy that I was able to stay focused and stay fresh until the end.”
Mencic lifted his only previous tour-level trophy by defeating Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Miami Open presented by ITAU. Mencic will move up one spot to No. 17 in the PIF ATP rankings on Monday thanks to the win in Auckland. The Czech will now travel to Melbourne to prepare for his Australian Open first-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta.
